


Cold December Night

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Christmas/New Year’s Stories [12]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 14:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13125354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: Will Bucky's dreams of being with you forever come true this Christmas?  Based on the songCold December Nightby Michael Bublé.





	Cold December Night

_Bucky stood in the doorway as he watched the love of his life tuck their two boys into bed.  He could hear her whisper to the two giggling children as she gave them each a kiss on the forehead._

_"The quicker you fall asleep, the quicker Santa will come," she told them as she gave them a wink and joined him at the door._

_"Night, munchkins," he told his sons as they peeked out from under their long lashes to see if their parents were still by the door._

_"Goodnight, Daddy," the two boys said in unison before giggling one last time and tightly closing their eyes._

_YN looked up at her husband and gave him a warm smile.  He leaned over and gave her a light kiss as he pulled the door halfway closed behind him._

_"Time to go to work," she whispered as they lightly walked down the hallway to the living room with the giant tree, still alit from the party they'd had earlier._

_"You finish wrapping the last few presents while I put together the bikes?" he bargained as he snatched a leftover cookie from the platter on the coffee table._

_"Let me clean up some of this mess first," she told him with a sigh, "but yeah, I'll finish wrapping."_

_"Deal," he told her as he reached out and grabbed her around the waist.  "Have I told you today how much I love you?'_

_"Only about a dozen times," she said with a smile as she ran her hands up his chest to loop around his neck.  "I never get tired of hearing it though."_

_Pulling her closer to him, he captured her lips with his for a short, but steamy kiss.  "I love you."_

_"I love yo. . ."_

"Earth to Bucky," Steve called out to his friend as he waved a hand in front of his face.

Bucky's daydream was immediately shattered as he was rudely brought back to the present.  He looked around for a moment to remind himself where he was, and then it hit him – the office Christmas party. 

Glancing back at Steve, he gave his friend a sheepish look.  "Sorry, pal."

"YN?" Steve asked, knowing exactly where Bucky's thoughts had been.

"Would you believe me if I said I was thinking about Claudia Schiffer?"

"Nope," Steve answered as he took a swig from his bottle of beer and then glanced in YN's direction.  "Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

Bucky shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.  "C'mon, man, you know she doesn't see me like that."

"How do you know if you don't ask her?" Steve asked for what felt like the hundredth time.  "You have this whole life dreamed up with her, and you've never even asked her out for a cup of coffee."

Bucky had regretting telling Steve about the imaginary life he'd created for him and YN, but he'd hoped saying it out loud would help him to realize how ridiculous it seemed.  Steve had seemed concerned at first, but then he'd spent the next few months begging Bucky to say something to the woman he secretly adored.

"She always tells me what a wonderful friend I am, and how she loves that she can talk to me about anything.  Face it, Steve – I've been friend-zoned."  Bucky looked in YN's direction one last time before turning around and heading back to his office.

Steve looked over his shoulder at YN, and caught her watching Bucky's departure.  For someone that was only interested in being Bucky's friend, she sure kept a close eye on him, but Bucky would never see it that way.  Shaking his head, he thought about going after him, but decided to give him some time to think on his own.  If he didn't come back to party before YN left, he'd just have to go and drag him out.

Alone in his office, Bucky sat behind his desk and looked out the window at the New York skyline.  He could see faraway Christmas lights adorning the windows of shops down below, and before he knew it, he was back in his fantasy world.

_YN had finished wrapping the presents, and was sitting on the couch with a cup of cocoa watching him tighten the last screw on the blue bike.  The red one was already assembled and sitting by the tree.  Once this one was finished, it would go on the opposite side, ready and waiting for its new owner to discover it in the morning._

_He walked back to the couch and sat down beside her, pulling her closer to him and kissing her on the temple.  They didn't say anything – they didn't need to.  This was their favorite time of the Christmas season – sitting on the couch with a fire burning as they looked upon the hand-cut Christmas tree they'd decorated as a family only a few weeks ago.  Tonight it was surrounded by a mountain of colorful packages that YN had painstakingly wrapped in the wee hours of the morning for the past three days, and hidden away in closets and under beds so their curious little boys wouldn't find them._

_Bucky would have been perfectly content to stay there all night, but he knew she was exhausted from running around all week trying to get everything ready, not only for the boys, but for their annual Christmas party they'd held for their friends and family on Christmas Eve.  He knew how hard she worked to make sure everyone's Christmas was perfect, and he'd make sure that the next few days would see her taking it easy and letting him and the boys wait on her for a change.  He'd planned to make her breakfast in bed, and the boys had agreed to keep their toys picked up while they were off from school so she didn't have to go behind them and tidy up every evening._

_He felt her shift beside him and glanced her way.  She was giving him that look – that look that said she was ready for bed, but not ready to sleep just yet.  He loved that look, and he especially loved that it was reserved solely for him.  Taking the empty mug from her hands, he placed it on the coffee table and pulled her to her feet.  Capturing her lips with his, he gave her a preview of what was to come._

_Anxious to have him in her arms, she pulled him toward their bedroom, her lips never leaving his as she began to tug at the hem of his shirt.  He was too impatient to fumble along in the hallway, so he slid his hands down her hips and pulled her into his arms as her legs wrapped around his waist.  Her fingers tangled in his hair as her mouth left his to leave a trail of fire down the side of his throat._

"Bucky?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, and struggled to calm his racing heart.  Turning around in his chair, he saw her peeking into his office, the light from the hallway casting her in an ethereal glow.  She looked like an angel – perfect, beautiful, and out of his reach.

"Hey, YN," he said once he found his voice again.  "Did you need something?"

Taking that as an invitation, she walked into his office and pushed the door shut behind her with one hand while she kept the other behind her back.  "I was looking for you out there, but Steve said you'd come back here.  Is everything alright?"

He gave her a smile and shook his head.  "No, everything's fine.  You know I'm not one for crowds."

"Well," she began as she pulled out a small package from behind her back, "I also wanted to give you your Christmas present."

"You didn't have to get me anything," Bucky said as he rose from his chair and walked around his desk to stand beside her.

"It's not much," she said with a shrug.

Bucky took the box from her and started tearing away the paper.  Lifting the lid, he found a steely blue hat and scarf set that he guessed was cashmere from the velvety softness of the material.  "This is beautiful, YN."

"Do you like it?" she asked.  "I wasn't sure about the color, but I thought it matched your eyes.  You never wear a hat or scarf, and I figured you'd need something on these cold December nights."

"That was very thoughtful of you, but you didn't have to buy me something this expensive."

"It wasn't that expensive," she told him with a shy smile.  "I have a friend who sells her own Alpaca yarn, so she gave me a good price on it – I just had to knit it."

"You made this?" Bucky asked in disbelief.  "For me?"

"Of course I made it for you," she said, her hand coming to rest on his arm.  "You're my friend, Bucky."

Bucky's heart constricted at her words.  He knew he should be happy that he could call her his friend, but a part of him knew he'd always want more with her.  He'd imagined it so many times – he was certain that if she just gave him a chance, they'd have a wonderful life together.

Swallowing his heartache, he stepped away from her and went back to his desk.  Pulling open the top drawer, he reached inside and retrieved the present he'd bought for her months ago.  They'd been working on an ad campaign for a ski resort back in the summer and she'd mentioned that she'd always wanted to spend New Years in a cabin atop a mountain while the snow fell down around her outside.  Bucky had called the resort the next day and booked one of their deluxe cabins for the last weekend in December.  It had cost him almost an entire paycheck, but he told himself it would be worth it when he saw the look of pure joy on her face. 

As Christmas slowly approached, he'd begun to doubt himself.  What if she thought it was creepy that he'd remembered a casual comment she'd made months ago?  Then he wondered if she would think he wanted to go with her – he did of course, but he didn't want her to think he was being forward.  He'd debated with himself back and forth for weeks until he'd finally just put the pamphlet with her confirmation into a box and wrapped it.  It had been sitting in his desk for the past three days, and until she'd given him his present, he hadn't been sure he was going to give it to her.  Now that he'd pulled it from the desk, his choice had been made.

He didn't dare to meet her eyes as he handed her the small box.  She took it from him and he could hear the paper begin to rip as she opened the present.

"Bucky, I don't understand," she said as she lifted the lid.  "Isn't this the ski resort we worked on back in June?"

"Open it," he told her, his voice barely above a whisper.

She set the box on the edge of his desk as she opened the pamphlet and began to read the slip of paper that had been tucked in between the folds.  "Bucky, you didn't."

He cast an anxious glance up, not sure whether she was happy or angry at him for the gift.  When he saw her eyes swimming with unshed tears and her hand over her mouth to contain her sob, he feared the worst.  It wasn't until she'd launched herself into his arms that he knew she wasn't upset, just overcome with joy.  In that moment, he let out the breath he'd been holding and took advantage of the opportunity to lean in and breathe in that intoxicating scent that was uniquely hers.

"I'm glad you like it, doll," he whispered as he held her against him.

"I can't believe you did this," she said as she pulled away from him enough to look him in the eye.  "I vaguely recall telling you about wanting to spend New Years in the mountains, but I never dreamed you'd remember – let alone book it for me."

"I just wanted you to have something special this year," he said as he quelled he urge to run his hand down her cheek.  That kind of intimacy was only afforded to him in his fantasies, but that knowledge did nothing to ease his longing.

She pulled away and began to look through the pamphlet again.  "You're the best friend I've ever had, Bucky."

"They call it the season of giving."

She looked up at him quizzically.  "Isn't that from a song?"

Bucky'd had the Michael Bublé song stuck in his head all day since he'd heard it playing in the lobby that morning.  The lyrics had played over and over in his mind all day since they reminded him of his situation with YN.  Now he was terrified that she would remember the next part of the song.  What would she do if he went ahead and told her?  He could always claim he was just reciting the lyrics, that it didn't mean anything.  He thought about what Steve would say.  He'd tell him to go for it – what did he really have to lose?

"They call it the season of giving," he sang softly, "I'm here, yours for the taking."

"I knew it was a song," she said with a smug grin.  "You think you're pretty slick, don't you, stealing lines from Christmas songs?"

He wasn't sure if he should see her teasing as a good thing, or a bad thing.  He'd basically put his heart out there, and she'd just casually ignored it like she always did.  Maybe it was time to give up on his silly fantasy and move on with his life.

"I never actually claimed it was my own," he argued, earning him a playful slap on the arm.  He feigned being mortally wounded, causing a wide smile to spread across her face.

"We're missing the party," she told him as she nodded toward the door.  "One last drink before we take off for the rest of the year?"

"Lead the way," he said as he followed her out of his office.

He'd just pulled the door shut behind him when he turned around and ran straight into her.  "What's wrong?"

She looked back at him and then up at the ceiling.  "Has that been there all day?"

He followed her gaze to the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling just outside his door.  He knew for a fact that hadn't been there when he'd come in twenty minutes ago.  Steve must have seen YN come into his office and decided to play matchmaker.  He'd have to find him later and kill him.

"I'm not sure," he lied.  "It's just mistletoe.  C'mon, we don't want to miss the end of the party."

"Bucky," she protested as she grabbed his arm.  "It's bad luck if you don't kiss under the mistletoe."

"You're not serious," Bucky said as he searched her eyes for signs that she was messing with him.

"It's just a kiss, Bucky," she said, almost daring him to walk away.

He took a few steps toward her and she rested her hands on his shoulders, an unrecognizable smile playing across her face.  Cupping her face in his hand, he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers.  It was a brief kiss, but it was somehow everything he'd ever dreamed it would be.

He started to pull away, but her hands slid around the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her.  His eyes popped open in shock when her tongue slid across his bottom lip.  With a groan of desire, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him as he began to deepen the kiss.

He was lost in the feel of her – the way her body fit against his like the missing piece of a puzzle.  He would have gladly stayed there all night, but the sound of a door slamming down the hall brought him back to reality.  Reluctantly pulling away from her, he searched her eyes for some sort of answer to the burning question in his mind.

"I never thought you'd ever do that," she said, her voice still a bit breathless from the kiss.

His brain was still foggy with desire, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind.  "You've thought about kissing me?"

She didn't move a muscle, but he could tell that she was taking a step back from him regardless.  At that moment he realized that she thought he was rejecting her, and his mind was trying to figure out how to process that information.

"I thought I was just your friend?" he asked, trying to gain some clarity.

"You are my friend, Bucky," she told him with a hopeful look, "but I was kinda hoping you didn't want to be _just_ my friend."

He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh as he rested his forehead against hers.  "I'd love nothing more than to be more than _just_ your friend."

"Then maybe you should join me for New Years and we can see how our _friendship_ develops."

"I want something that lasts forever, so kiss me on this cold December night," he sang softly as she leaned in and did as he requested.

**Author's Note:**

> _Thank you for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed the final Christmas story of 2017! What did you think of Bucky’s Christmas present for her? Did you like the one she made for him? How about Steve’s meddling with the mistletoe? He’s a great wingman, isn’t he? Do you think Bucky’s fantasies about their life together will come true? I look forward to your comments!_


End file.
